In 2018, it
could be said that this small business in the Haut Beaujolais is but a
shadow
of what it once was. The present gérant is Jean-Pierre Sivignon, born
in 1964,
and the small but smartly kept fleet is used on excursion work, school
outings,
plus two contracted Rhône schools circuits:

305Beaujeu
local

313Chénelette
– Beaujeu

Vehicles
are available with 9 to 53 seats, which rises to 63 seats for parties
of
schoolchildren.

There is no
indication of involvement in interurban routes.

The SARL
(Registry of Commerce n° 350 610 606) is recorded as dating
from
1988and has a capital of 8,000
Euros, there were 5 employees in 2012, and turnover is modest, but since
2013 the
figures are no longer made available to the general public –

‘000 Eur20092010201120122013

Turnover649601600613576

Profit6355541515

Staff costs245226230247256

When
researching these histories information in the public domain usually
stops at
about the year 1985, as more recent material is not accessible – still
considered as commercially sensitive. The 1988 SARL above bears little
resemblance to the Sivignon story which goes back to at least 1947.

The route from COGNY
to VILLEFRANCHE SUR SAONE

Cogny is
8.5 kms to the west of Villefranche.

When in
1934 the law obliged départements to map, register and control
passenger
transport in their jurisdiction, Pierre Lafont declared that he was
operating
this route using a 23 seat vehicle and charging a 3F fare for the full
journey.
He said he had been running the route since 1st November
1926.

Cogny to
Villefranche – Timetable for 1935 - 1936

In 1940,
wartime restrictions limited
the route to 2 returns daily plus an additional 2 on Mondays. The
vehicle at the
time was 9516 PF 3, a 1932 Ford with 25 seats.

1948.On 13th November,
Mr Lafont sold the route, with the sale
act being drawn
up by the ‘Etude Iserable, Notaire à Anse’.

We learn of
the sellers that Pierre Lafont was born at Cogny on 12/12/1892, and his
wife
Rose née Pernet, was also born at Cogny on 25/02/1895. It was on
01/06/1927
that they had acquired a hotel, restaurant and café business, as well
as the
associated bus route, from Antoine Teillère, for 12,000 Frf. Now they
were only
selling the bus business, and retaining the rest of their activity.

The route
was described as Cogny to Villefranche via Lacenas and Denicé, with a
licence
for 3 daily returns plus 3 more on Mondays and 1 more on Thursdays and
Sundays.

The
purchase price was 220,000 FrF (15,000 Fr for fixtures and fittings,
the rest for
goodwill).

The purchaser
was Joanny Joncières, born at Villeurbanne on 12/05/1893.

The impression
given was that while Mr Lafont had been happy to let the bus service
drift, Mr
Joncières was full of energy, and wanted to develop his newly acquired
business. He immediately requested an authorization to operated 19
returns per
week, to bring real frequencies, as opposed to the theoretical licences
held,
back to pre-war levels. These timings were to be 5 on Mondays, 0 on
Tuesdays, 2
on Wednesdays and 3 on all other days. The CTD – Comité Technique
Départemental – dragged its feet and after much haggling, finally
agreed
only in July 1950 to 18 returns – one on Wednesdays and Fridays, none
on
Tuesdays, 4 on the other 4 days of the week.

While this was
going on, Mr Joncières put in a second request in March 1949 – to
extend
the route to Lyon twice a week (once on Monday, once on Thursday) with
a
departure from Cogny at 07.30 and a return from Lyon at 17.30. This was
refused
by the CTD until the publication of the decrees of application of the
1949 REGLEMENTATION
DES TRANSPORTS, and never appears to have happened during Mr Joncières’
time.

To be fair
to the CTD, this was the immediate post-war period, and in practice,
frequencies were still being held at wartime levels, possibly because
of the
need for fuel economy. Authorizations also became harder to obtain
ahead of the
publication of the new REGLEMENTATION DES TRANSPORTS, which was
expected to
give guidance on how new route and frequency applications were to be
treated.

1953.Maybe
Mr
Joncières had had enough; maybe he was retiring at the age of 60.
Either way he
sold out on 1st December 1953.

Joncières
timetable 1952 - 1953

The
purchaser was Paul Descamps, born on 08/01/1911 at Thory (Somme), and
domiciled
at Bovelles (Somme).

The
Cogny – Villefranche route was now
describedas 3 returns daily plus 3
more on Mondays, 1 more on Thursdays &
Sundays, but currently only
authorized as 2 on Tuesdays, 3 on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 4 on
Mondays
and Saturdays, 5 on Thursdays.

The
purchase price of 2.9 million Frf included two vehicles - a
Rochet-Schneider 15
cv valued at 1 million Fr and a Chenard-Welcker (sic) 6 cv valued at
500,000 F

The
following financial declaration was made (in Frf):

1951 Turnover
1,503,511Profit243,182

1952
Turnover1,674,796Profit343,052

1953
Turnover1,300,228Profit157,214For
the year up to date of sale.

In October 1959,
Mr Descamps was advised by the PTT postal authorities that they had now
purchased a fleet of motor vehicles, so the contract to carry post
would cease
with effect from 15/01/1960. This was general and applied to all the 16
Rhône
bus operators involved in providing this rural service. Bicycles
were not sufficient for carrying
post over long distances, so ‘post buses’ had done the job until then.
This was
a serious loss of income for Descamps - it involved a loss of income of
195,36Frf
paid three days a week for ordinary post (a price fixed in 1953 and
never
adjusted for inflation) plus 880 Frf per day for each of the other 4
days when urgent
post and ‘messageries’ were carried. The total was estimated at around
15,000
Frf per month.

Mr Descamps
was unhappy, but there was nothing to be done, except adjust timings on
the
route, where it was no longer necessary to run a journey at
inconvenient hours
because there was post to be delivered.

Also in 1959
– perhaps in search of replacement income, Mr Descamps obtained an
authorization
to operate a market service from Quincieux to Villefranche on Mondays –
into
town 9.05 to 9.25, with the return 11.30 to 11.45, and a fare of 1,20
NF. In
1961, the frequency was reduced to operate only on the 1st
and 3rd
Mondays of the month. Then on 7 Aug 1961, Mr Descamps wrote that, as
there were
no more passengers, he would be cancelling the service with effect from
September
1961.

In 1962,
he proposed a specific
schools journey running Rivolet – Montmelas – Villefranche, for 22
pupils that had been identified as potential users. This was a return
distance
of 24 km plus a positioning return journey of 9 kms from Cogny to
Rivolet. The
subsidy required was 1.21 NF per km for the 24 km and 0.90 NF per km
for the 9
kms.

And he
added a dedicated schools return on the Cogny to Villefranche service –
timings 07.15 – 07.40 inwards with returns at 17.00 to 17.25 and 19.00
to
19.25. A 40 seat vehicle was provided and whilst fares were graduated a
return
ticket for the whole route cost 1.80 NF.

1962
– all routes on the COGNY corridor

In the
1960s and 1970s; profitability of country routes was in severe decline.

In 1966on the main Cogny – Villefranche
service,Descamps wanted to reduce
service – cancellation of the 08.15 on Thursdays&
Saturdays, cancellation of all
Sunday service between 15 June and 15 September. This was agreed by the
CTD.

1967 Timetable

By 1970passenger numbers were falling further
and route reductions were requested during the school holidays. – the
table below shows Sunday loadings from 1968 to 1970, with a decline
from 41 in
October 1968 to 6 in January 1970.

Sunday
loadings and fare revenue -1968 to 1970

1973-Mr Descamps had had
enough! On 26/11/1973 he sold to the Sivignons.

-To
Louis Sivignon, born on 20/12/1915 at Monsols, and his wife Suzanne née
Tortel,
born on 30/03/1922 at Oullins, both domiciled at Belleville, 20, route
Nationale

Included in
the sale was the Cogny Villefranche route, now described as 3 returns
daily,
plus 3 licences for excursions. And three vehicles:

The sale
did not appear to include schools services, and Mr Descamps not being
allowed
to continue ‘competitive services’, it would appear – with
reservations,
that he was no longer allowed to operate his schools contracts:

Pommiers Lachassagne Anse

Hameaux de Pommiers

Hameaux de Cogny

Rivolet – Montmelas -Villefranche

Hameaux de
Gleize.

But there
is nothing conclusive to be found.

1974 Timetable – Sivignon

As at
January 1979 the service was still operating – one daily return during
the school term;

Cogny>
07.10 – 07.35, return from Villefranche < 17.20 – 17.45

And every
Monday of the year (market day) a service into Villegranche > 08.15
–
08.40, with return < 12.15 – 12.40. When the route was discontinued
is
not known.

Services originating
with Mr Hidrio.

Jean Hidrio
was born in Paris on 01/11/1905, and was domiciled at lieu du Bourg,
Juliénas.

In 1940,
also using the trading
name Car du Haut Beaujolais, he was authorized to run from Jullié to
Pontavenaux via Juliénas (2 daily returns).

In 1945,
Hidrio Inquired of the Military Government what had happened to his
Citroën 7cv
4280 PG 2 requisitioned by the FFI on 18/08/1944. TheComité d’Organisation des Transports
Routiers replied that it was to be found at Part Dieu, Lyon, so
presumably he
got it back !

After the
war, in 1948 he wanted to
extend the route to Lyon, and when this request appeared to have little
chance
of success, he changed this to Mâcon (Mâcon was refused by the CTD in
April
1949, although he was already operating it!). So he sold the rights to
the
route to Jacques Trunde on 10/06/1954,
together with a second service from Jullié to Juliénas.

Edouard
Jacques Trunde, also domiciled Lieu du Bourg, Juliénas, was born at
Juliénas on
20/03/1931.

This was
another route that carried post, and an estimation of annual
remuneration was
recorded as 56,222 Fr. However, an attestation from the postal
authorities in
December 1952 states that he received 78,612 Fr for the period 01/11/51
to
05/03/52, and 159,612 Fr for 05/03/52 to 31/10/52.

What exactly
was Trunde’s role? It is not clear, for only two years later, in 1956,
he sold
the route rights (with no vehicles involved) to Mr Sivignon for 150,000
Fr.
This hardly appears to have been a good investment, as in 1960,
Sivignon closed
the Pontavenaux route.

Another
transaction, on 04/03/1953,
saw Hidrio selling Sivignon the rights to his route from Cenves to Lyon
for
225,000 Fr.

There were 3
daily returns, with no picking up between Belleville and Lyon. For this
transaction, Hidrio disclosed his turnover:

19501,446,360 Fr

19511,195,800 Fr

19521,325,253 Fr

although
these figures were for all his activities and it was stated that the
route
accounted for about one third.

Services originating
with Louis CALLOT

When route
registration began in 1934, Mr Callot, of Avenas (Rhône) declared the
existence
of his route in October 1933.

This was a
Thursday market service from Avenas to Villié Morgon, with the outward
journey
07.30 > 08.05 and the return 11.00 > 12.05 using a Citroën 12
seater registered
949 PF 1.

By 1940, in
spite of wartime conditions, operations had expanded to consist of

-Avenas
to Beaujeu: one return on Wednesdays, (requiring a second vehicle in
the fleet,
a Citroën registered 1626 PF 5) 07.35 > 08.20, return 11.00 >
11.50, full
fare 6fr

On
01/02/1947, these routes were sold to Sivignon for 30,000 Fr.

Services originating
with Francisque Benoit THOMAS

In June
1948, Mr Thomas was licensed to operate a market service from Fleury to
Thoissey (Ain) on Fridays, but in April 1949 it was announced that
Sivignon was
buying Mr Thomas’ business, and the formalities were completed in June
1949.
There were four routes:

-Fleurie
to Gare de Romanèche Thorins (Monday to Saturday)

-Fleurie
to Mâcon, Saturdays only

-Fleurie to
Villefranche via
Corcelles, Mondays only

-Fleurie to St
Didier de Chalaronne
(Ain) via Corcelles, Fridays only

Two
vehicles changed hands - a Citroën 13cv, 22 seats, 5563 PG 2 and a
Delahaye
10cv, 15 seats, 1992 PF 1. Both vehicles are described in the act as
“well
worn”!

The sale
price was nevertheless 600,000 Fr (100,000 for the licences, 500,000
for the
vehicles).

In 1949 For
the Romanèche service, a subsidy of 45,000 Fr was voted by the
municipality of
Fleurie. This was designed to have the service operated daily instead
of just 3
days a week. All the authorities were appalled by the size of the
subsidy, and
the ‘sous-préfêt’ put pressure on the municipal council to reduce it to
an
acceptable level – the result is not known.

Services originating
with SIVIGNON and other operators

The earliest
date discovered is June 1948. That is when Mr Sivignon obtained
licences for
market services Avenas to Belleville on Tuesdays, and Avenas to
Villefranche on
Mondays. Sivignon is recorded as being domiciled in St Joseph at the
time.

On
06/10/52, Sivignon purchased from Chanut the route from Tramayes to
Belleville
with extension to Lyon authorized by ministerial decision. The price
was
250,000 Fr.

Jean Chanut,
of 1, route de Charentay, Belleville, had begun operations on 10/08/30
in
partnership with Pierre Dumonceau, and in 1952 appears to have been the
major
operator on the Beaujolais to Lyon corridor.

This
large scale route map & timetable in 1953 includes not only the
market services but also the Tramayes St Léger Belleville Lyon service

1958

Planche
wins a court case against Sivignon, who is ordered to pay 2,000 Fr
damages for
not respecting setting up and setting down restrictions.

1960On 8 April, the Head Office and depot moved
from Fleurie to Belleville. Some market services were re-routed as a
consequence:

Villefranche
Market

Fleurie 08.00 >
Villefranche 09.00 –
11.45 < 12.45 became

Villié 08.20 >
Villefranche 09.10 –
11.45 < Belleville 12.55

Belleville
Market

Fleurie 08.00
> 08.45 Belleville 11.30 < 12.15 became

Villié 08.20
> 08.55 Belleville 11.30 < 12.25

Mâcon
Market

Fleurie 08.00
> 08.45 Mâcon 11.20 < 12.15 became

Belleville
Gare 07.30 > 08.50 Mâcon 11.20 < 12.35

1961 – Sivignon
took over a St. Christophe
to Tramayes market service from RSAR. They operated from 21/04/61 to
27/04/62
when it was discontinued for lack of patronage.

1963In June a study of little used
routes produced the following results

-Tramayes
- Cenves - Lyon revenue per km 0,7245 Fr

-St
Christophe - Tramayes (market) – 0,3085 F

-Tramayes
- Beaujeu (market) – 0,485 f

-Villié-
Villefranche (market) - 0,621 f

-Belleville-Tramayes
– 0,438 F It was said this route began in 1959, when the Beaujolais
network was reorganized, specifically at the request of the PTT.

1966 – 15
December – In this decade
when the country bus was slowly fading away, Sivignon requested a
reorganization of his services as the situation in 1966 was critical –
135,000 km run with two vehicles for revenue of less than 80,000 FR.
The routes
concerned were a Belleville Gare to Jullié shuttle, a Jullié to Macon
shuttle,
and routes to Lyon. Villages likely to have no service were Tramayes,
St.
Mamert, Ouroux, Vauxrenard, St. Joseph, Chiroubles.

1970 – On the
trunk Tramayes -
Lyon service, the authorities agreed to the cancellation of some
timings on
Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays..

The
WednesdayTramayes - Beaujeu market
service was discontinued.

July 1972

Passenger
numbers were falling. There were more service reductions on Tramayes –
Lyon. Cancellation of all Thursday journeys; cancellation of 2 Sunday
timings
between 15 September and 30 June.

1972The Jullié – Macon
route.All Tuesday journeys were
cancelled. This sector was complicated by the fact that Maisonneuve was
also
present, and in October 1970 they had been in the courts where
Maisonneuve won
a case for ‘concurrence déloyale’. But it seems that at the same time,
Sivignon
was asking for additional timings as a consequence of these revenue
figures.

RevenueJan
1972 1307,90622Number of tickets
issued

Feb1621,50786

Mar1328,00812

Apr1564,30765

May1540,80807

Jun1916,10943

Jul1738,40893

Aug1808,90901

Sep2078,00998

Oct1925,50842

Nov1672,10742

Dec1770,70804

Year 197220572,209915

Year 197319074,50842110
months only

1979The
Villefranche to Lyon section of the Tramayes - Lyon route was
officially
declared as abandoned by the authorities, although it had not
physically run
for a number of years.

1983FOOTNOTE

Whilst Sivignon
must have closed
down all its regular and market services, Planche set up a service on a
6 month
trial basis running on Fridays from 02/09/83.The route wasCogny, Lacenas, Rivolet, Denicé,
Villefranche, with a departure from Cogny at 07.50 and the return fromVillefranche at 11.30. This is where we
came in! The wheel turns, although it is doubtful whether the trial was
successful.

VEHICLE NOTES

In the
course of this research, a number of vehicles, other than those cited
in the
text, were identified.

For those
interested, here is the list. The year or date that appears is the date
when
they were known to be operating for the company.